Lakewood To Host 2013 South Atlantic League All-Star Game

LAKEWOOD – The BlueClaws will host the 2013 South Atlantic League All-Star Game, presented by Barnabas Health’s Community and Kimball Medical Centers, OceanFirst Bank, and Shore Point Distributing Company, at FirstEnergy Park.

The announcement was made Wednesday by BlueClaws General Manager Geoff Brown at a public event on the Seaside Heights boardwalk.

“This is a banner day in BlueClaws history,” said Brown. “Almost 10 years to the day we hosted the All-Star Game in 2002, we are thrilled to announce that this magnificent event is coming to Lakewood in 2013.”

For the first time, the South Atlantic League All-Star Game will be expanded into a two-day extravaganza, with a Celebrity Hitting Challenge on June 17 and the traditional All-Star Game on June 18.

“When we learned of the opportunity to bring the game back to Lakewood, one of the first things we wanted to do was expand the event into two days,” said Brown. “We thank our partners, Barnabas Health, OceanFirst Bank, and Shore Point Distributing, for their support and assistance in helping us put on what is sure to be two tremendous nights of fun at FirstEnergy Park.”

The Celebrity Hitting Challenge will include pro athletes, musicians, local celebrities and South Atlantic League All-Stars, among others.

The game itself, on the night of June 18, will showcase the top stars in the South Atlantic League. Previous South Atlantic League All-Stars over the years include Steve Carlton, Nolan Ryan, Ryan Howard, David Wright, Josh Hamilton and Bryce Harper. Both Howard and Wright competed in Lakewood during the ’02 festivities.

Seaside Heights, which hosted the announcement event and press conference, will also host players and executives coming to town for the event as well as All-Star Game parties and events.

The South Atlantic League All-Star Game comes to Lakewood for the second time. The BlueClaws last hosted in 2002, when the attendance was a league-record 8,571.

Fans are encouraged to reserve their tickets in advance, and can do so through a 2013 BlueClaws ticket package or group outing. The All-Star Game will sell-out, and under the BlueClaws current policy, the crowd will be capped at 8,000.

Tickets for the All-Star Game and Celebrity Hitting Challenge will go on sale in phases. Beginning June 29, full and half-season ticket holders that put down a deposit or pay in full on their BlueClaws 2013 tickets will be able to reserve tickets to the All-Star Game at their package rate and receive tickets to the Celebrity Hitting Challenge as a gift.

On July 30, mini plan holders that pay in full for their 2013 ticket package will be able to reserve tickets for the All-Star Game in full at their package rate and receive tickets to the Celebrity Hitting Challenge as a gift.